Nice to see a different Anne Frank quote than "I still believe people are truly good at heart"

Purple Mohawk guy was from Canada. No one asked for his papers.

What's so funny about those things?

Look, Martha! Anarchists!

God save us from progressives with wordy memes

On the south side of Jefferson Street, the III Percenters had way more flags

You've Got To Be Carefully Taught

Yes, all the refugees are strapping young bucks. On food stamps.

One liberal infiltrated the III Percenters

It was a pretty good turnout

Yr Dok Zoom’s hometown of Boise, Idaho, hosted a demonstration on the steps of the state Capitol in support of refugees. Idaho has become home to about 19,000 refugees since the 1980s. Across the street from the 700 or so pro-refugee folks loosely organized by an ad hoc organization called Solidarity Idaho was a counter-demonstration held by “3 percent of Idaho,” a group of Constitutional Patriotsparamilitary militia opposed to admitting refugees who might turn out to be Muslim terrorists. (The “III Percenters” take their name from the dubious belief that only 3 percent of colonists fought the British in the American Revolution, and that a similarly small percentage of True Patriots can defeat today’s tyrannical federal government. If that becomes necessary.)

Thanks to some genius of scheduling, Boise’s annual holiday parade ran long, so we were treated to the sight of one crowd on the Capitol steps with signs saying “Idaho’s Too Great For Hate” and “God Says ‘Let My People In,'” while the other side of Jefferson Street featured a smaller crowd with holstered pistols, lots of flags, and signs like “Ban Islam! Deport All Muslims!” and “Support Homeless Veterans First.” In between rode Miss Teen Idaho on a horse with tinsel and jingle bells, and eventually Santa Claus. Two groups of Americans, separated by Christmas.

The pro-refugee rally was full of feisty liberals, half of whom seemed glad for the guys across the street for the sake of contrast. A couple of clever infiltrators from the III Percent rally sat on the steps with signs reading “No Vacancy” and the word “Sharia” inside a red circle and slash. Why they decided to sit next to a young woman holding a sign reading “Deport Trump,” we couldn’t tell. They were asked to leave by security guards, who explained the Solidarity Idaho rally had the permit, so please, no interlopers.

After Santa passed, a brigade of sweeper trucks followed, cleaning up all the horse poo and clearing the way for the III Percenters to start spreading bullshit before the pro-immigrant rally started. Fun moment: A III Percenter leader announced, with megaphone pointed only to his crowd, a “moment of silence” for those murdered in Paris. Then, turning around so part of the pro-refugee crowd could hear, he complained that the patriots were having a moment of silence and the pro-refugee crowd should show some respect.

The militia counter-demonstrators definitely had the audio advantage. Whoever planned the rally didn’t rent have access to a particularly strong amplifier (update: one of the organizers mentioned in our comments that the sound system was provided by the Capitol, so nobody needs to worry that Idaho is overspending on lavish PA systems), so several refugees’ personal accounts of having gone through hell and finding a home in Boise were drowned out by chants of “Vets First! Idaho First!” or our favorite, “Security First, Then Compassion!” While one refugee tried to speak, the militia dudes turned their bullhorns toward the Capitol to bellow the Pledge of Allegiance, yelling “With liberty and justice for all!” without the slightest sense of irony.

Gail Shuck, a Boise State professor who directs BSU’s English Language Support Programs (full disclosure: she’s also Yr Dok Zoom’s ex) told stories about several students she’d worked with: a woman who fled Afghanistan with her mother, escaping forced marriage to a Taliban soldier whose comrades had killed her father and brothers. An Iraqi man who translated for U.S. forces and escaped being killed in revenge. A Somali man who took Shuck’s English class a decade ago and now works as a nurse in Boise, while also helping newly arrived refugees get settled. And another Afghani woman who walked across Iran to Turkey with her husband, children, and elderly mother, only to get separated from two of the kids and her mother. After months, they were reunited and now live in Boise.

In remarks aimed at (and unheard by) the people across the street, Shuck acknowledged that anger at terrorism is natural, but that it’s vile to:

tap into fears of the foreign, of the unknown, making the situation so much worse for extremely vulnerable people just wanting to feel safe, maybe for the first time in their lives.

Fortunately, she emailed us a copy of her speech, since parts of it were drowned out by motorcycles gunning their engines and the III Percenters chanting “Not true! Not true!”

Next came state Rep. Hy Kloc, who was born in a Displaced Persons camp in Germany and came to the U.S. with his family after World War II. Apart from his parents and brother, Kloc lost his entire family in the Holocaust, and after three years in the camp, finally made it to America.

“And just like the refugees of today,” Kloc said, “that was the only thing we could do, there was no going back.” Kloc recalled the shameful history of the passenger liner Saint Louis, which in 1939 reached American waters with nearly a thousand European Jews aboard, but was turned back, because “America First.” After the ship returned to Europe, half the Jewish passengers were killed when Hitler overran the continent.

“There is a reality of fear today in our country that is similar to the fear in 1939,” said Kloc. “We are not that country; we are not those people. We do not want to repeat that history.” Again, thanks to Mr. Kloc for a copy; he too was nearly shouted down.

When the rally ended, at the request of a leader of the III Percenters, an organizer of the Solidarity rally met him in the street to shake hands, to show there were no hard feelings between the two groups. Mighty civil gesture from the folks who tried to drown out every word of the pro-refugee rally.

Here’s some local teevee news video from KBOI-TV, which weirdly frames the story as if the pro-refugee rally had been a response to the militia guys:

Following the rally, Yr. Dok Zoom genuinely intended to interview some folks on the III Percenter side of the street. Instead, we got yelled at by this gent, who was asking, loudly, if anyone disagreed with his sign:

He seems nice

Darned if our Journalistic Objectivity didn’t just fly straight off into the sunny but chilly skies: “That’s a false choice, isn’t it? Why not care for both homeless veterans and refugees? The government pays for a lot of things at once, like highways and the V.A. and air traffic controllers …”

“Just how much LSD have you done in your life to make you so stupid?” asked Mr. Charming. And then when his friend started explaining how there wouldn’t be a civil war in Syria if Obama hadn’t given ISIS all their weapons, which the CIA was running out of Benghazi, we realized that we weren’t going to do much “interviewing” after all.

Doktor Zoom Is the pseudonym of Marty Kelley, who lives in Boise, Idaho. He acquired his nym from a fan of Silver-Age comics after being differently punctual to too many meetings. He is not a medical doctor, although he has a real PhD (in Rhetoric and Composition).
He loves upvoting your comments but Disqus is broken and his upvotes don't "stick." Just assume he upvoted what you said, because it was excellent and witty.

“Just how much LSD have you done in your life to make you so stupid?” asked.

Well?

HolidayinCambodia

Answer: Not nearly enough.

Latverian Diplomat

If there were one recreational substance proven to make people stupid, surely it would be the manly, patriot-approved, brain-killing demon liquor? Puts hair on your chest, but the hair is made from dead brain cells.

FlownOver

Extract of pineal, according to Dr. Thompson.

Toomush_Infer

Wow – big weekend.!….I think the LSD might have actually been a good suggestion, especially if that old flagwaver had a good dose….

MsAnthropesMr

That guy with the sign looks like he done battle at the Golden Corral buffet.

Msgr_Moment

Not to be confused with the salad shoot-out at the OK Corral.

Painter of Goats

What makes Wyatt urp?

Thatsitfor Theotherwon

This kinda shit?

AntiDerpomeme

So, according to sign guy, we (as a country) can either help veterans OR help refugees. But we can’t do both, because of LSD?

Who’s the stupid one again?

alwayspunkindrublic

Must. Hold. Sign. Will chew gum and breathe later.

Relativicus

Anyone who pays more than $3 per tab?

AntiDerpomeme

WHAT ABOUT TAB 31, YOU LIE-BER-AL SKUM?!!!111!? ACIDGHAZI!!!1!!

MsAnthropesMr

I don’t understand. Does Vlad the Impala have a limited slip differential?

Ahh the belligerent howls of the willfully ignorant, I imagine that is music to Trump’s ears.

Joshua Norton

a similarly small percentage of True Patriots can defeat today’s tyrannical federal government

Is this the same “tyrannical” government that’s supposed to be able to put down overwhelming killer gangs of ISIL terrorists in one afternoon? They’re really all over the place with this shit, aren’t they?

Painter of Goats

Yep, they love America, but hate America’s government and 2/3 of America’s people. The flag’s OK with them, though.

Beezelbubbles

Even then, they tend to use the Treason flag instead, because rebels. Or Wolverines. Your pick.

No need to mention. The “III Percenter” crowd was full of potatoheads.

Spotts1701

Well, if you insist.

Latverian Diplomat

Only three percent of American Potatoes fought in the American Revolution, but they were crack shots (must be all the eyes). Lafayette trained a special squad of the them, and they could always be found in the most heated part of the battle. French Fries are named in their honor.

pumpkinspiceheroincat

These brave spuds also scratched out a victory by the skin of their….skin. That’s where we get the term au gratin.

mtn_philosoph

Did they get any help from the redskins?

Left Coast Tom

There’s a picture of the author wearing butter on his head, does that count?

Lizzietish81

Interesting idea for the American Revolution, which was so much more than just the War for Independence

I’m looking forward to going up to some teabagger and complaining that they should be ashamed of themselves for pretending to be “patriots” when their namesakes were all about the freedom to smuggle.

MsAnthropesMr

Why did you nasty liberals impinge on those Threepers right to free speech?

tihond

Worst “Grinder” episode ever.

NationalGalleryofClipArt

Sisqo’s Shakedown Sausage Party.

Spotts1701

“Just how much LSD have you done in your life to make you so stupid?”

“More than the blows to the head it took to make you an asshole.”

beatbort

“Security First, Then Compassion!” I think George Orwell used this slogan in the first draft of Nineteen Eighty-Four, but took it out, thinking it was too over the top to be believable in his narrative.

Latverian Diplomat

Security is Compassion!
Fear is Bravery!
Guns are Penises!

Thatsitfor Theotherwon

Pantshitting is Patriotism!

mtn_philosoph

The Destitute And The Disenfranchised Are The Oppressors!

Oblios_Cap

Ignorance should be painful.

Thatsitfor Theotherwon

Their ignorance IS painful.

For us.

Painter of Goats

It is. Their ignorance makes my head hurt. Oh, you meant for them.

Ryan Denniston

“And then when his friend started explaining how there wouldn’t be a civil war in Syria if Obama hadn’t given ISIS all their weapons, which the CIA was running out of Benghazi, we realized that we weren’t going to do much “interviewing” after all.”

Wow! Just… wow, I can’t top that. I guess Fast and Furious was the source of the guns, and the strike against Benghazi was to target Vince Foster, a potential whistleblower. I’m still trying to work the phrase “commie bastards” into this vignette, but I actually have to do work today, at work.

freakishlystrong

Well, thank you Dok. It’s heartening to know there are still decent people in our Mad Max world.

AntiDerpomeme

From the pictures, it looks the the decent people outnumbered the Islamophobes. This makes me a little bit optimistic. I’ll now go and read a few “pearls” of “wisdom” from the assholes on Facebook, which should balance me right out again into snarky-punchy mode for the rest of the day.

Thatsitfor Theotherwon

Dude took the stick for that sign off of his wife’s broom. How’s she gonna get home?

Ryan Denniston

If only this level of stupid were confined to a mere 3% of the population.

Thatsitfor Theotherwon

Yeah, it’s about 30%, and a stubborn stain on the USA.

Jeamonn

Dear Wingnuts,
As a veteran I strongly object to trotting us out every time you need some kind of patriotic prop. My service was to this country as a whole. As such, it is unfortunately ambiguous in its application. It was what ever someone wanted it to mean. I wish that I had the luxury to wake up before PT and go through a list of assholes that I was not defending that day. You would have been on that list. Please do not associate veterans with this issue as they are two separate issues. If you are too stupid to walk and chew gum, I can’t help that. If you really want to help vets, shut up. We are sick of people like you. Easy to send us to shitty places that break us so far down that it is impossible to come back from that, hard to actually be brave enough to admit your own complicity in the very issue you are bitching about. So, go fuck yourselves. Also, France is still taking in refugees despite what happened. What does that say about you?

Thatsitfor Theotherwon

When these types say “Thank you for your service,” I say “I did it for me, not you.”

Jeamonn

I don’t have enough energy to explain anything to them. So I just kind of nod and whatever.

freakishlystrong

They’very taken patriotism, even though they hate their own Government, and distorted religion to excuse their hatred of others.

Notreelyhelping

You’re making a rational, persuasive point that strikes at the heart of their mindless jingoism. NO FAIR! NO FAIR!

Ian

Also, too, it’s a false dichotomy. Veterans or refugees…CHOOSE! Which of course if we spent less on defense we wouldn’t remotely fucking have to….Also, also, too thanks for your service, applied broadly, to all of US America, and the US Americans therein (even wingnuts, by jingo).

Playonwords

Next time get an amplifier that goes up to 11

Thatsitfor Theotherwon

And an 11″ replica of Stonehenge.

MsAnthropesMr

Oh, how they danced….

pumpkinspiceheroincat

None more black…

JohnnyZhivago2

If Obama was willing to nuke Charleston, SC – why not these ISIS strongholds??

Thatsitfor Theotherwon

Outlaw abortion and kill all the scary Muslins and what issues will the Republicans run on?

LarkintheAM

Oh they’ll think of something. Besides, they’ll always have teh Gheyz (and the commies, and the teachers unions and the pointy-headed liebral professors and global warming and sex and . . . .)

Tansy Geek

College grads are taking their jobs ar 7-11?

Ryan Denniston

Self-loathing is the most virulent form of hate.

Tansy Geek

These people lack the self awareness to hate themselves. They can only manage to hate what they perceive as different. Frankly many of them lack the awareness not to stick metal objects in electrical outlets or turn the lawnmower off before working on it.

Are you sure “3%” doesn’t refer to the number of undamaged brain cells of these morans?

Thatsitfor Theotherwon

3% as smart as regular humans, but with all the butter fat you’ve come to expect.

pumpkinspiceheroincat

Mmmm, brains melting on toast….

beatbort

I Can’t Believe It’s Human!

bupkus23

Too high a percentage

Brewerofbeers

“While one refugee tried to speak, the militia dudes turned their bullhorns toward the Capitol to bellow the Pledge of Allegiance, yelling “With liberty and justice for all!”

How do I irony?

alwayspunkindrublic

“One nation, under God”. Jesus considered this the most important line when HE wrote the Pledge.

Angry_Cop

The only reason the knuckledragger could even remember that line is because it’s the title of a Metallica album.

NationalGalleryofClipArt

Also known as the White Album, since there is no bass.

Jeamonn

These assholes have the nerve to call liberals bed wetters?

Thatsitfor Theotherwon

Yeah, because the jihadis are probably paddling down the Snake River even as we converse.

jmk

Projection. They are ALL about it. Always and always.

Villago Delenda Est

We need a macro for that.

Beezelbubbles

That’s a false choice, isn’t it? Why not care for both homeless veterans and refugees?

Heck, why not all homeless? Oh right, they chose to be homeless when they chose not to lift themselves up by their bootstraps.

cmd

I know there is some logical connection between bootstraps and boots on the ground but I haven’t quite figured it out yet.

pumpkinspiceheroincat

Bootstraps, boot on your neck. Whatever.

alwayspunkindrublic

Feeling a bit bad for MIss Teen Idaho, caught in the middle like this. Though I hope Dok was still able to sit on Santa’s lap and verify whether or not he’d been naughty or nice this past year.

Relativicus

Because I am a Judgy McJudgerstein, my guess is Miss Teen Idaho would probably have stood on the megaphone side of the street.

Thatsitfor Theotherwon

Nah, this is Idaho where they know about maps and such as.

Jeamonn

The NRA is against any kind of qualification for gun ownership. I am convinced it is because any method used to try to qualify these knuckle heads would be too difficult.

alwayspunkindrublic

Who’s buried in Grant’s Tomb? “Uhh, is it multiple choice?”

Villago Delenda Est

That’s an easy one! Robert E. Lee!

Thatsitfor Theotherwon

“If Jethro shoots three DemocRATs…”

Relativicus

1. Of course nobody disagrees with your sign, except to ask why we can’t accept refugees, and take care of our veterans and homeless?

2. Of course nobody disagrees with your sign, but a lot of people, based on a lot of anecdotal evidence and personal experience, believe you wouldn’t actually support any legislation that would increase funding for the homeless or veterans. Ask yourself where you stand on sequestration, for example.

3. “Gail Shuck, a Boise State professor who directs BSU’s English Language Support Programs (full disclosure: she’s also Yr Dok Zoom’s ex) told stories about several students she’d worked with: a woman who fled Afghanistan with her mother, escaping forced marriage to a Taliban soldier whose comrades had killed her father and brothers. … ”

Funny how she left out mention of the various terrorist acts of terroristical islamicist terror terror they’ve committed, or how Dok Zoom is in bed (for doctoral research).

Ryan Denniston

If the message truly had superior appeal, you wouldn’t need to overcompensate with the loudest megaphones. Or the scariest looking guns.

AntiDerpomeme

Yup, the self-loathers are all about overcompensation. One suspects the real reason that they don’t want any brown foreigners moving nearby is because they’d come up lacking in any real measure of quality.

Biel_ze_Bubba

Had your amplifier been bigger, the pant-shitters would have whined about their First Amendment rights.

Thatsitfor Theotherwon

Just guessing here, but I’d wager that the average IQ of everybody in the USA who has taken LSD is north of 100, and way north of the average IQ of everybody in the USA who has drunk real moonshine.

marxalot

Hallucinogens (taken, as with everything, in moderation and safety) are amazing things.
Moonshine is also amazing, but for completely different reasons.

Msmlg1979

Don’t knock moonshine, just be careful who gives it to you! I come from a long line of moonshiners and ‘shine runners. It can be the best liquor you’ve ever tasted, or it can melt your esophagus.

Thing about these assholes; if a real homeless vet actually approached them on the street, they’d piss in his eye and tell him to get a job.

Playonwords

I suspect you are correct

cmd

Well of course they had to bring the guns to participate in case there was a War on Christmas skirmish. I love the mental image of Santa and the pooper scoopers, etc.

shastakoala

Idaho has a lot of horses in their parades. And a lot of horse’s asses belong to their anti-refugee contingent.

MrBlobfish

It would be one thing if we were arguing the facts, but, Obama armed ISIS?

Vegan and Tiara

Obama also started The Great Recession that began in 2006. The man is all powerful, but also a weak and ineffective leader who wears mom jeans and leads from behind.

Amy!

Pffffffttttt. You wonkettes always hafta bring the buttsechs into things!

Rick Hill

You didn’t take the heart attack gun, did you? I told you you would need it and it’s finally had the bugs worked out after the Breitblast incident almost failed to work.

natoslug

As long as Obama’s still reporting to Colonel Sanders in his secret lair the Bilderberg Group built for him right before he faked his death (the Colonel, not Comrade Obama), our cunning plans are still right on schedule. FEMA Camps/Rainbow Unicorns 2016!

zerosumgame0005

White Power Unicorns UNITE!

AnOuthouse

I don’t have any tattoos but unless that’s one of those temporary ones, it looks like it hurt.

Gristle McThornbody

Holy shit. Where did they get that, Schizo Tats-R-Us? White power unicorn with gay pride rainbow background and mane, and a swastika and SS bolts. Make up one of yer minds.

zerosumgame0005

uh, I have had it for a while, I think I stole it right from here :)

Gristle McThornbody

Ooooh, then you must be the guy with the ironic tongue-in-cheek tat about raping little kids! Pleasure to make your acquaintance!

zerosumgame0005

are you trying to say Wonkette is advocating molesting kids? really? you want to go there? otherwise if you are trying to say I do, then you are just being a fucking asshole. if that was an attempt at snark, then still fuck you for joking about raping kids.

Gristle McThornbody

Jesus H Christ with a jetpack, you’re the one who said the above tattoo was yours. A simple fucking google image search found a whole article about the person to whom the tattoo belongs. Among his many charming body art pieces is one about raping little kids. Since you seem incapable of researching your own images, here you go: http://news.bme.com/tag/funny/page/4/. Now, you fuck off, asshole.

zerosumgame0005

the PICTURE of the fucking tattoo I COPIED from here you moronic sack of Trump-shit.

Gristle McThornbody

Have you ever noticed that your random use of caps lock, and immediately resorting to name calling make you sound like a rightwing teatard? Just thought I’d point that out.

Me: “Holy shit. Where did they get that, Schizo Tats-R-Us?”

You: “uh, I have had it for a while, I think I stole it right from here :)”

It was the “I have had it for a while” part that would lead most people to think you were claiming it as your own body modification. My bad. I’d apologize, but all things considered I think I’ll just call you an imbecilic piece of Cruz smegma and be done with this thread.

zerosumgame0005

wow, first you accuse me and Wonkette (was the capital W to much for you widdle baby?) of liking to rape kids and now you accuse me of being a tebagging reptard. You are simply a lying ass. just admit you are incapable of reading for comprehension and GTFO moron. oops, more capital letters! you must be ever so distressed!

Gristle McThornbody

I know it’s bad form to come back to a post once I’ve flounced out, but I would like to sincerely apologize. You came to this thread and made a lighthearted post, and, as you noticed, I completely misread it and lit into you like you’d just stabbed one of my dogs. I really am sorry.

zerosumgame0005

s’all good mang, I get in that mode myself from time to time, so all is forgiven. see ya round the Wonkateria :)

Mehmeisterjr

It must be true. Somebody told me they saw it on the Intertubes.

Ä Ğrümpy Çät

They don’t fucking give a shit about helping Vets or the homeless, EITHER. Because bootstraps. Fuck all these fuckers.

deanbooth

Do the III Percenters plan a near beer hall putsch?

Jeamonn

I saw what you did there. Nice.

Mehmeisterjr

That would make them the 0.V Percenters.

LarkintheAM

Dear Mr. Sign-Carrier (the guy at the end): Who did you vote for as your representative to Congress? I’m guessing that it was for the Republican, Mike Simpson. I cannot, in my extensive search of his voting record, find ANY instance in which he voted in favor of funding the things which homeless veterans (or any homeless person) need: mental and physical healthcare, food assistance, housing assistance, help getting and keeping a job. He voted, instead, for the Ryan budget, which slashes our already tattered “safety net” to complete non-functionality, and for sequestration, which prohibits any increase in spending for any of the programs mentioned above. In fairness, however, he did vote for something called the “Dignified Interment of Our Veterans Act of 2015”. How kind of him to think of them – *after* they’ve died. If you really do care about the homeless vets (and are not just using that as an issue to serve as convenient cover for your bigotry and fear), perhaps you should trouble yourself to ask Simpson why he has been so consistently against giving them the help they need, and voting for his opponent if he doesn’t change his stance. Of course, that will happen when potatoes fly, won’t it?

Vegan and Tiara

Republicans also just voted down a spending bill for highways and infrastructure. It’s almost like they think America is broke or something, yet there’s is always room in the budget to give out more tax cuts for the richest people. As a corollary to that, the wealthy in this country are now staggeringly rich, so rich that they can’t spend the money they’ve already accumulated in the next few lifetimes. God forbid we raise their taxes a percent or two, to cover the cost of vet’s care or decent highways.

Tansy Geek

I should go look this up somewhere but did have something to do with lack of an amendment to destroy Planned Parenthood and make everyone say Merry Christmas on the hour between now and December 25?

Vegan and Tiara

Yes! Yes, it did. There’s also an amendment that no Muslin can ever be president, or serve on the Supreme Court because of freedom.

Lot_49

The III percenters wouldn’t be any relation to this outfit, would they?

If that sounds appealing they have, or hope to build, a little redoubt somewhere they can fondle their guns in solitude and relative quiet, routinely interrupted by gunfire. There’s a link on the Web site above but liberals need an invitation to see it.

Jeamonn

“Just how much LSD have you done in your life to make you so stupid” Okay. Again, I’m amazed (still) by these fuckers ability to consistently equate what they think is a clever little zinger, with being intelligent. I bet his old lady (assuming that is her next to him) was so impressed he got one of her special denture free BJ’s that night.

Angry_Cop

Thanks, I think I’ll never be able to have an erection again.

Jeamonn

Sure you will Angry Cop. We all just have to believe and clap…clap as hard as we can.

Rick Hill

I agree with angry cop. No soup for you!

Vegan and Tiara

Damn, O’Bummer for destabilizing the Mideast! Will anyone stop that monster?

Do what I do (or ask them in my name): walk up to these asshats and introduce yourself (Hi, I’m [insert my real name] and I’m a vet. USAF, Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal w/ device, Humanitarian Aid Medal w/device). Then ask them about the last time they volunteered at a veteran’s institution, DAV, American Legion, VA, etc? Ask them the last time they helped out a vet like mowing a lawn, helping build a house? Then when they look at you like a deer in headlights – tell them they need to STFU and to stop using vets (like myself, and others) as props for their hateful, ignorant, xenophobic, utterly idiotic and useless rhetoric.

That usually gets them to stop…. for a minute at least.

sosuume

Great post!

Thatsitfor Theotherwon

Ask them when was that last time they raised their right hand and recited a long sentence containing the words “…that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic, that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same…”

Angela Ruzzo

I don’t really understand why conservatives always pull out the Veterans mantra. None of the veterans I know are complaining about their benefits or treatment, and I know lots of them as there is a VA hospital in my town, where I used to volunteer. A quarter of my relatives are veterans, and none of them are complaining.

Mehmeisterjr

As you know, you go to propaganda war with the Veterans mantra you have, not the Veterans mantra you might want or wish to have at a later time.

Jeff Ackerman

I’m going to go on a rant here. Most republican rednecks I know like the bad boy image, the motorcycle, camo or Harley clothes, boots, gun,etc. They support the NRA, Vets, the MIA’s, the military, the CONSTITUTION, (see how loud I typed that?) etc, in name only. They all seem to be cut from the same cloth, cheep shit burlap. I work in construction, one of the most conservative business’ there is, and it is full to overflowing with asshats like the ones in the video. Most all of them fear anyone different than them. I guess my point is they are a small minority of the population and not to be taken so serious. Reasonable people outnumber them, but only if they vote. One of the best things WE can do is help those Politicians that are liberal get elected. Volunteer on campaigns, register people to vote, anything that you have time for that you think will make a difference. I know that I am preaching to the choir here but I feel that it needed to be said. (Full disclosure, I worked as a Union goon for a lot of years, even lobbying in DC and Alaska’s Legislature, yes it is disgusting.) Volunteering makes a huge difference in campaigns, also letters to Reps, whether Republican or Democrat. The squeaky wheel does indeed get greased. There, that was therapeutical…

Angela Ruzzo

You make some very good points, but I think a lot depends on where you live. I live in a small college town in the middle of the rural Midwest, and I’d say that once you leave the college campus, which is primarily liberal, you find yourself in an ocean of redneck asshats. They are not a minority in this area. And my sister lives in Dallas. . .which is even worse. I think the problem is that the middle-of-the-road people, who could swing either way, are not vocal. They are too busy dealing with real life and don’t have strong opinions one way or another and don’t get involved.
And then there is the issue of empathy. Quite a lot of people don’t have any. When I was young, I thought it was a small number, but the older I get the more I think it is a very large number, and it has nothing to do with how religious or educated one is. I could introduce you to several hundred deeply religious Christians with college degrees who appear to have none at all, and several hundred non-religious people with little formal education who have buckets of it.

Jeff Ackerman

Alaska went from a strong Democratic state to a Republican state since the 1970’s. The state is gerrymandered like everywhere else. Most districts have very strong Republican bases even without the gerrymandering. It makes it difficult to elect anyone that is even perceived as liberal. What helps is the growing number of independent voters, people dissatisfied with both parties. When you campaign you work the district with voter registration rolls. This makes or breaks a campaign. Anyway I digress, I agree about the demographics as to where you live making a big difference. I learned about mankind’s lack of empathy when I was five years old. It leaves a very lasting impression. Apathy can be overcome, so can the lack of empathy. I also worked as a Union Organizer, that was an education I’ll never forget. People without empathy are driven by self interest, what is in it for me is their bottom line. Apathy seems to be driven by a feeling of helplessness or feeling that you cannot bring about change. It is a lot of work to educate, motivate and empower people, it’s not for the faint of heart. No is what you will hear more than anything. I like to compare the work of campaign to getting laid as a teenager, a lot of courting, flirting, learning how to communicate, and being told no on a regular basis. In the end, it is worth it if you succeed.

Angela Ruzzo

People don’t seem to learn that if they organize in groups, they have power to effect change, or at least to be heard. This is so obvious if one studies history, but they don’t seem to learn it. Just look at the women’s suffrage movement – it took them 100 years to achieve their goal, and they never gave up. Of course this requires dedicated leadership.
I, too, learned to feel empathy when I was five – when my family went to Mexico in the early 60’s and for the first time I saw poor people living on the street, begging. Mostly young women with small children. Then I saw a documentary about the Holocaust on TV when I was 6. I asked my mother “Why did they do that?” and her answer astonished me. She said “I don’t know.” That was when I first learned that grownups didn’t know everything, which rocked my world.
There seems to be a liberal/conservative cycle throughout history, and we are in a very conservative one right now.

Peripatetic Poltroon

My deepest sympathies for your sister’s heartbreaking condition.

Angela Ruzzo

She fights back. She runs a major Refugee Resettlement program and organizes International Festivals and teaches citizenship classes. She creates her own reality as best she can. She gets a lot of death threats and people vandalize her car now and then, but nobody has actually showed up with a gun. Yet.

Jen_Baker_VA

They give her death threats for helping people? Good Christians I bet. Bless their hearts

Angela Ruzzo

Yes, death threats, because she is often interviewed on TV supporting local refugee issues. People throw rocks and dog shit over her fence. She just laughs.

lroom

She sounds like an amazing person.

doktorzoom

You pretty much described Boise right there.

Angela Ruzzo

I’m sorry to hear that. But it could be worse. I lived in Louisiana for 4 L-O-N-G years. Boise can’t be that bad.

beatbort

Amen, brother

Usedtobeyellerdawg

Over the weekend I was in a relatively small Texas town and saw a woman by herself, in the cold west Texas wind, holding a sign that said, “Go home and take Obama with you.” There was no one else there; No gathering of people on the other side of the street, no protesters protesting anything, no one apparently who wasn’t already home or heading that way, just her and her sign. I wondered who she thought she was talking to?

During a citywide lockdown in Brussels over the weekend in response to terror threats, police asked social media not to spread information about the operation — so instead, the people of Brussels are using the hashtag #BrusselsLockdown to tweet cat memes, showing terrorists that their threat is no match to a virtual army of cute kitties.

Weary familiarity with war and homegrown terrists like the Red Brigades probably contributes to that.

handyhippie65

ode noes! it’s a kitteh wit two brains! well, a brain and a half. it is a dog’s head, after all.

Esteban Rey

Deport these people into the ocean with a purpose built catapult.

Tansy Geek

I read that as a “purpose built carpet”. Somehow it made sense.

Esteban Rey

Porpoise built carpet works too.

Villago Delenda Est

I really do not like fascist types talking about veterans when engaging in pants pissing operations.

AnOuthouse

““Just how much LSD have you done in your life to make you so stupid?”You got me. Approximately 25 Grateful Dead shows between 1978 and 1985 for starters.

BeachLoafer

Shoulda started earlier – by ’78 it was getting hard to get good acid, even at Dead shows :(

Gorillionaire

How much oxycontin and nicotine do you have to ingest to listen to Rush Limbaugh and Bill O’Rielly every goddamn day?

thewitchqueen74

ALL OF THEM, KATIE

chascates

How many of these III Percenters talking about veterans were actually veterans themselves? Sounds like a bunch of chickenhawks to me.
And for another look at Dok’s home state (specifically Coeur d’Alene) here’s an episode of Maria Hinojosa’s America by the Numbers: Coeur d’Alenehttp://www.pbs.org/wgbh/america-by-the-numbers/episodes/episode-103/

TheBidenator

If the Syrian refugees want to get wingnut support they should all dress up like the monopoly guy (the women and children too) and talk about how ISIS is a bunch of commies…that might work.
Oh and bleach their skin and probably yell about how Jesus is…

witsended

I am confused what have pounds, shillings and pence ( librae, solidi, denarii ) have to do with the article and how does one do them, shove them up your arse?

UnsaltedSinner

I’ve always wondered how it was possible to convince millions of Germans that Jews represented a horrible threat to their existence. It’s quite terrifying to watch similar popular delusions take over a modern society.

witsended

ISIS are concentrating their mass shooting attacks in Europe rather than America, for maximum publicity.
They are so novel over here, they are guaranteed coverage on the evening news.

UnsaltedSinner

…

Biff52

After Santa passed…

White Santa is dead?

Reddishrabbit

The war on Christmas is going well this year!

Pecker Rider of Pern

Too bad he just keeps regenerating into a new form, like on Doctor Who or James Bond.

I’m relatively new to Boise (4 years), but it’s a wonderful town. Very friendly people – while they might have been hard to hear, I’m glad the pro-refugee crowd was so large (despite the cold over the weekend). One funny thing about Boise – despite how red Idaho is (sigh), we see a lot more old Obama stickers & occasional Hillary or Bernie bumper stickers rather than stickers for Bush/McCain/Romney/new passel of idiots.
Very pretty here also.

Jen_Baker_VA

Gerry Mander can’t get our cars.

House0fTheBlueLights

Takin’ one for the team there Doc.

mondojohnson

Combat pay for Doktor Zoom! Out there among the Morans; I shiver at the thought. I am especially chilled by your last “interviewee”… He looks like he SO wants to stand his ground in that shot.

Pecker Rider of Pern

Judging by his sense of style, I bet he loves Charles Bronson’s Death Wish movies.

doktorzoom

He actually yelled VERY ALLCAPS LOUDLY at Kid Zoom and another guy who were talking to him to GET OUT OF HIS SPACE.

Pecker Rider of Pern

BUT WHY DO YOU HATE VETERANS, DOKTOR?

Incidentally, I bet this guy neeeever tells homeless vets he sees to fuck off and get a job.

ParisPC07

I was one of the organizers, I should mention that our budget was zero and the speaker system was the one provided by the Capitol.

doktorzoom

Thanks for the info! I will update the post — and thanks for organizing the rally. I was the fat bald bearded guy in the Wonkette t-shirt :)

D Ash

I am more and more convinced that we 90%ers (that would be all of us who are not radicals) need to band together and get signatures on a petition to put a Freedom FROM Religion bill to amend the Constitution. This would be our Home Free card when faux Xtians begin rabble rousing speeches and demonstrations. Just present your “Freedom From Religion” membership card and the supposed Speaker for Cheesie Rice must immediately cease and desist– shut the fuck up right now! –and leave me alone.

kaw143

I’m starting to think that maybe the word “patriot” doesn’t mean what these self-proclaimed patriots think it does. Apparently, in their minds the word is closely associated with missiles and a draconian law which rolls back some of the more inconvenient provisions of the bill of rights, and pretty much nothing else. Pro tip, patriots: if you constantly have to remind us that you are patriots, you probably aren’t patriots.

BeachLoafer

Just how much LSD have you done in your life to make you so stupid liberal?

I believe that’s a fair journalistic-y question, @doktorzoom:disqus , and it would be irresponsible of us not to speculate …

TundraGrifter

Potato Heads.

D_C_Wilson

I’ll bet that “fund veterans” guy is a staunch republican voter and fully supports the republicans in Congress who just killed another bill to help out veterans.

MyLovelyNose

O! Using Google Chrome I am not only able to SEE Disqus comments, but post too! I am like normal again!